Day: June 8, 2022

Marriage Unarranged by Ritu Bhathal is part rom-com, part travelogue, and mostly entertaining.

You can read the setup in the blurb or other reviews. It is typical romantic comedy fare. A cheater, a break-up, a re-awakening of self by the heroine…it’s all here.

What makes this book unique, however, is that the heroine is Indian. All the usual rom-com bits come with a healthy dose of traditional Indian expectations and responsibilities.

For example, Aashi makes the (not-so-) difficult decision to end her relationship (no spoiler). But her parents seem more embarrassed and concerned for her future, rather than her current situation. It’s a cultural thing.

The book became more interesting when Aashi, and her “entourage” arrived in India so she could “find herself.” (My words, not hers). I thought the author did a great job of describing the landscape and atmosphere.

However, there were moments that felt odd. Some of the descriptions of the people seemed to verge on stereotypes. And I mean both the UK and Indian perspectives.

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The UK characters seemed very whiny. Frankly, they were obnoxious when they got to India. It’s almost as if they had no clue what they were walking into. This is strange because the parents and families seemed traditional. So, they should have known what to expect?

Additionally, there were times when the people of India seemed more like caricatures than real people. Again, I don’t have a frame of reference. So, this is a complete outside point of view on it.

Stereotypes are born from reality, so maybe this is an accurate depiction? I can’t tell.

The writing is good, but the chapters are confusing at times. Instead of alternating views in different chapters, we would often get two or three narrators within a chapter. It seemed too busy.

This looks to be the first in a series from Ritu Bhathal. Hopefully, the writing evens out a little. Otherwise, Marriage Unarranged was a good rom-com. It could be interesting to see where the author goes next.    

Author Bio 

Ritu Bhathal was born in Birmingham in the mid-1970s to migrant parents, hailing from Kenya but of Indian origin. This colourful background has been a constant source of inspiration to her.

As a wife, mother, daughter, sister, and teacher, she has drawn inspiration from many avenues to create the poems that she writes.

Ritu is happily married and living in Kent, with her Hubby Dearest, and two children, not forgetting the fur baby Sonu Singh.